


A Not-So-Secret Admirer

by MorganOfTheFey



Series: Reed900 Bonus Fics [10]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Courtship, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, I honestly have no idea how to tag fics that aren't smut, Kissing, M/M, Nines is still autistic in this one, Pining, Podfic Welcome, no incest tho with the Elijah tag, they have both been professionally diagnosed with Dumb Gay Babey Disease
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:15:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27013360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganOfTheFey/pseuds/MorganOfTheFey
Summary: Nines is very upset that Gavin keeps receiving expensive and lavish gifts from a "secret admirer." In an attempt to [shoot his shot], he also begins buying Gavin gifts. Can he woo his partner first--and who is this mystery gifter anyway?
Relationships: Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Series: Reed900 Bonus Fics [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1843504
Comments: 45
Kudos: 279





	A Not-So-Secret Admirer

**Author's Note:**

> So my post schedule once again got screwed up because I have the time management of a carrot, but I'm still doing the bonus fics and you can check out my tumblr phcking-detective.tumblr.com for more info! I have a post about it pinned to the top of my blog ^^
> 
>  **trigger warnings:** one very brief mention that Gavin smokes weed; also a brief mention that coworkers begin joking about Gavin performing sexual favors for gifts

Nines arrives to work Monday morning to find someone has sent Gavin [his partner] an ornate arrangement of Himalayan sea salt caramel dark chocolate.

Gavin complains that the mystery giver is a "rich asshole who thinks he can buy my love" and that he "doesn't even remember I phcking hate dark chocolate." The gift is transferred to Tina and not mentioned again.

Yet on Tuesday, Gavin receives a Rolex Sky-Dweller Oystersteel in yellow gold, valued at approximately fifteen thousand dollars, then takes a phone call on his smoke break to have a furious whisper argument about how that is far too expensive and [mystery gifter] can't send any more [bourgeois shit] to his place of work.

Tina quietly informs Nines on Thursday, after the delivery of sunglasses and a new leather jacket, that she thinks [it's getting serious] and that he should [shoot his shot] while he still can, and by Friday, there is a betting pool on the identity of Gavin's secret admirer and what sort of sexual favors he must perform to receive such lavish gifts.

(Nines does not allow that discussion to continue.)

On Saturday, he takes up Gavin's offer to [learn how to have some phcking fun] and knocks on his apartment door. The detective answers wearing sweats and a loose tank top, traces of powdered nacho cheese dust on his fingertips, and smelling of marijuana.

"Hello," Nines greets him. "You previously offered to teach me how to do normal human activities. Is that offer still available?"

Gavin stares at him. "Uhh … like hang out and watch a movie?"

"I would not know," Nines answers. "But I find that activity acceptable. I can stream any movie you desire."

"Oh shit, free netflix."

Gavin pulls him inside by his arm. Nines allows the contact. His partner frequently touches him. At first, by way of attempting to fight him. Now, he punches Nines's shoulder to indicate he has done a [good job].

Nines considers his words even as he scans the apartment. If Gavin truly has a secret admirer willing to give him very expensive gifts, why would the admirer not simply gift him netflix, rather than several items he didn't want?

"I have a gift for you," Nines says.

Gavin turns around. "Uh, yeah? Well. You can put it on the table, I guess. Why'd you get me a gift?"

Nines lays out the marble, key, and coin (all carefully selected from his own collection) onto the detective's kitchen table. It suddenly occurs to him that he may have made the same fundamental mistake as the secret admirer:

He is gifting Gavin what he himself would want, not anything in which Gavin has actually expressed an interest.

"Connor said I should bring a gift when visiting someone's house for the first time," Nines attempts to deflect the blame. "I … do not own many things."

He watches Gavin nervously, but his partner seems to relax at the explanation.

"The gift thing is usually if it's a new house or you're invited for a formal dinner party," Gavin tells him. "But this isn't anything like, expensive or weird. So it's cool."

Gavin does not like expensive gifts. Nines registers that, although he has no idea where to start on what humans may or may not consider [weird].

"Do you uh, collect this kinda stuff?" Gavin asks, looking over the items.

"Yes," Nines gratefully latches onto dialogue he understands. "Rocks as well. Anything small and either easily categorized or, conversely, that is a mystery."

Nines smiles at Gavin. He tries. He hopes his face looks [natural]. Gavin smiles back, so maybe it is a success?

"Collecting shit isn't really my thing, but I am an ADHD gremlin," Gavin says, looking over the gifts. "Love me some cool marbles. How about I keep that, and then maybe next weekend I can come over to your place to see the rest of your collection?"

So much [success]. Nines almost feels dizzy with all of the [mission successful] notifications scrolling across his HUD.

"Yes. Thank you. Please. It is the color of your eyes."

Gavin blinks. "What?"

"The marble." Nines practices making a [gesture]. "The mixture of the grey and green swirls resemble your eye color."

"Oh. I uhhh—thanks." Gavin clears his throat. "Now. Very important question."

"Yes, Detective?"

"Have you seen Die Hard?"

"No."

"Then take off your shoes and make fists in the carpet with your toes, because you're about to witness a cinematic masterpiece," Gavin tells him.

Nines has no idea what any of that could possibly mean, but he does remove his shoes and take a seat on the couch in the living room. Gavin flops down beside him and begins animatedly sharing about the lead actors and the twentieth century time period.

[SUCCESS]

***

Nines's second attempt at gift-giving is admittedly more of an impulse purchase. Gavin receives a fruit basket the next week filled with exotic fruits he complains are [weird].

(Nines registers a fruit basket of rambutan, buddha's hand, salak, dragon fruit, and monstera deliciousa as a [weird] gift.)

"There aren't even any apples," Gavin complains. "Who the fuck sends a fruit basket without apples?"

"Do you like apples, Detective?" Nines asks.

Gavin puts the fruit basket on Hank's desk. "Yeah, everyone likes apples. They're apples."

Having acquired knowledge of an item his partner likes, Nines immediately places a virtual order. 

With express delivery, the dwarf apple tree arrives in two days. It is six feet tall, cost nearly two hundred dollars, and is also a [tree] in the middle of the bullpen.

Nines looks at it next to their desks and determines this was not an [appropriate] gift.

"Oh god," Gavin groans when he arrives, taking in the sight of the thing, nearly as tall as Nines himself. "He bought me a fucking tree?"

"No," Nines admits. "I … made an impulse purchase."

Gavin also raises his eyebrows. "You? Bought me a tree?"

"You said you liked apples."

"I--"

Gavin flushes and looks around. He must be uncomfortable. Nines bought a large, showy, [expensive] gift and it has made him [uncomfortable].

"More importantly," he continues. "Connor has repeatedly nagged at me to purchase and care for a plant, as he seems to believe that is the absolute height of deviancy."

"Ohhh, this is a fuck Connor tree," Gavin says.

Well. Since it certainly won't help Nines fuck Gavin …

"Yes," Nines replies. "I thought with his frequent jabs at your height, you might also enjoy rubbing it in his face that our desk plant is much bigger than his tiny succulents."

"Yeah, we got wood," Gavin immediately crows. "And it's big! Damn, how tall is this bitch, like six feet?"

"Yes. It was discounted by seven percent," Nines offers weakly.

Gavin laughs and punches him in the arm.

(He has done [good].)

(Captain Fowler still makes them relocate [that goddamn monstrosity] to the breakroom.)

***

Nines knows this is typically not considered an [appropriate] gift. It is controversial enough to appear frequently on lists of gifts you should not buy without the giftee's express permission and approval.

But he is willing to take the risk and, if necessary, the responsibility of the gift himself.

(Although he hopes Gavin will like it, given that he had to call in a favor from his [creator] in order to acquire this gift, and who could possibly predict how that egomaniac will choose to call in the favor he earned.)

As his apartment is unfit for human life, currently lacking a refrigerator, a toilet, and (most importantly, according to Gavin) a television, Nines transports both gift and his collection to Gavin's apartment for their scheduled weekend meeting. The gift remains quiet, synced to Nines's own interface to receive data about their surroundings.

"Hey," Gavin greets when he opens the door. He looks over the bag in each of Nines's hands. "Wow, big collection."

"One of them is a gift for you," Nines says.

It is not a gift actually meant for himself, nor was it impulsively bought to one-up another person. Nines hopes this gift is truly just a present Gavin will love and enjoy.

"You don't have to …" Gavin stops and steps back, waving him into the apartment. "Well. Guess I can't get onto you for getting me a gift when I got you one."

"You … got me a gift?" Nines asks.

"Yeah." Gavin shrugs and doesn't make eye contact. "It's whatever. I mean, thought I could do better than all those walmart bags."

"They were suitable for wrapping my collection," Nines tells him. "I do not think any items were damaged by being transported here."

"Still. You should have--"

The gift announces itself with a meow. Gavin freezes, then stares at the second bag.

"Is that a cat?" he asks.

"It will not bother your allergies," Nines assures him.

"I--" Gavin looks [upset]. "It's the skin dander that's the problem, so even the hairless--"

All dialogue options scramble in his mind at the possibility of upsetting his partner, so Nines simply sets the backpack down and unzips the rest of the top. The cat pops its head out of the backpack, switching over its visual input from Nines's synced feed to its own optical units. It identifies Gavin Reed -- [owner].

"Aw, phck. She's beautiful," Gavin says. "But I can't--"

Nines prompts her to cycle through the standard LED colors in her optical units. Gavin pauses, blinks again, then drops into a crouch.

"Holy shit, is that an android?" he asks.

The cat sends Nines a crude preconstruction of him lifting her out of the backpack, which he does. She sets her paws down delicately on the laminate of the kitchen floor, then looks up at Gavin.

Another preconstruction, accompanied by wiggling haunches as she recalibrates and plots her trajectory. Nines reaches out to stop her, but Gavin opens his arms wide.

The cat jumps into his arms. Her claws are fully retractable, so there is no need for the inhumane practice of "declawing" her [removing a portion of her toes] or a risk that she could injure him. Gavin apparently does not fear this at all, as he buries his face in her fur. He lifts his head a moment later and grins at Nines.

"I can pet her!" he exclaims.

"Yes," Nines finally manages to speak. "She will not bother your allergies."

Gavin falls backwards onto the floor, lying on his back and holding the cat above him. "You are so pretty. You're so pretty. Soft little pretty baby, hello!"

The cat meows at him.

"She wishes to be lowered to your chest," Nines says.

Gavin immediately sets her down on top of him. The cat sniffs his neck and face, then settles down onto his chest in a "loaf" position. She registers this as an ideal location as Gavin continues to pet and praise her.

"Do you speak cat?" Gavin asks once the cat has been sufficiently spoiled.

"We are synced," Nines explains. "I can view her HUD and receive preconstructions from her."

Gavin grins again. "Aww, do you want me to pet you and call you a pretty baby?"

If Nines had not deviated already, that would have done it. He might actually deviate a second time, unlocking some sort of new level of emotional response combined with software instability.

In short, he "blue-screens" for nearly seven seconds before he manages to clear all the error notifications (and preconstructions) from his HUD to respond.

Before he can, there is a knock at the door.

(He doesn't know if he's relieved or disappointed by that.)

(Or what he would have said.)

"Ugh, I got it," Gavin says. "Hey kitty, I gotta stand up. You can stay in my arms though if you want, just no perching on my shoulder. It gets messed up easy after that one gunshot wound."

[Kitty] doesn't protest as Gavin stands and shifts her around in his arms to cradle her like a baby. Nines stands as well, scanning through the door to identify the visitor as another android—most likely an ST200, although he attempts to limit his scans now so as not to use his deviancy-hunting programming.

"Oh." Gavin says when he opens the door. "Hey, Chloe. Is it another gift today?"

[Chloe] holds up a set of keys. "Motorcycle. Very sexy."

"Phck." Gavin lets out a sigh. "Why can't he actually come down and talk to me if he loves me so much, huh? We could, I dunno. Hang out. Mess around or something."

[mess around] analogous to [fool around] colloquialism for [have sex] [?]

"Listen, sweetie." Chloe puts her hand back down. "He loves you so much, I promise. But he's also male. You know. A moron."

Gavin chuckles. "You got both of us there."

"Take the motorcycle," She says. "You can even have your friend sync up to it. Hell, let him have it. And I'll work on pulling Eli out of his garage, and his head out of his ass, so you two can go to dinner together. Does that sound nice?"

[go to dinner] = [romantic] [date] [?]

Gavin grumbles his assent, still idly petting the cat. Kitty behaves herself in his arms for the moment, although she entertains preconstructions of clawing Chloe if the other android attempts to touch what she has registered as [her] human.

Chloe seems to pick up on that, because she tosses the set of keys with perfect accuracy to land on the little cubby installed on Gavin's wall for holding his regular keys and wallet, rather than risk handing them to him.

"All right, I'll let you and your friend get back to your day together!"

"We're just--"

Chloe leaves before Gavin can finish what he was saying. He sighs again, even more loudly this time, and kicks the door shut. The cat leans up and licks his cheek.

"You giving me kisses, baby?" he murmurs to her.

(Nines would give him kisses.)

"If the gifts sent to you are unwanted, that is harassment," Nines tells him.

"He's not like, a creepy stalker or something," Gavin says, walking back into the living room. He pauses. "OK. Well. He did invite me to an orgy one time. That would have been super weird."

"Sexual harassment," Nines repeats.

Gavin waves him off and sits back down on the couch. "He's just too rich to know how to interact with people like a normal person. You pass a certain amount of millions, and you get worms-in-brain disease. Like Chloe said, my brother is a moron, that's all."

Brother?

Nines had several possible preconstructions of Gavin being harassed—and yes, possibly even stalked or [worse]--by the unknown and apparently very wealthy secret ""admirer"" but he never suspected that level of depravity.

"Would you like him removed?" Nines asks as calmly as he can, even as his LED glows red. "May I remove him?"

Gavin barely looks up from petting his cat. "From where?"

"Earth."

Gavin looks up. "What?"

"If your brother is attempting to coerce you into a sexual or emotional incestuous relationship," Nines says. "I will remove him."

Gavin stares. "I—oh my god no, it's not like that."

Nines attempts to pause his preconstructions. Technically, preconstructing his actions would raise the charges to premeditated murder. He should delete as many as possible, then kill this [brother] solely on instinct.

"Look, I know what people have been saying around the department," Gavin says. "But there's nothing skeevy actually going on. He's just trying to apologize for a really stupid argument we had, that's it."

"The repeated gift-giving was not an attempt at romantically courting you?" Nines confirms.

"No, that's--" Gavin stops. "Is that what you think gifts are for? Giving someone gifts you means you like them?"

Nines may not have a social module standard to his model the way his predecessor does, but even he can recognize when he's talked himself into a trap.

"Thank you for inviting me over, I must leave," he says.

He turns to make his escape, but the cat jumps out of Gavin's lap and blocks his path.

Gavin steps in front of the hallway too. "I said I have a gift for you too, asshole."

Nines stands still. He does not know what to do with that information.

"It's for your collection," Gavin continues from somewhere behind him. "You're not just going to leave that here, are you?"

… no? He hadn't thought that far.

"Look, here's your gift."

Nines turns around to look as instructed. Gavin sets a leather bag that appears to be a cross between a satchel and a briefcase on the coffee table, next to Nines's forgotten collection mummified in walmart bags.

"You can have the bag whether you like me or not," Gavin mutters.

Nines returns to the living room, trying to preconstruct dialogue options to convey that he does like Gavin, but only an appropriate, normal amount that can never be spoken of again if he is misinterpreting which form of [like] his partner means.

Then Gavin lifts the front flap of the bag to open it up, and all those dialogue options scramble. Nines kneels down in front of the coffee table as he analyzes all of the many different pockets. The two largest pouches sit at the front of the bag, but the inside is lined with multiple pockets of various sizes and dimensions as well, including a panel that expands outwards like an accordion with two coin displays built into it.

Nines gets through unwrapping all his coins and is attempting to settle on a single configuration for arranging them when he receives a preconstruction from Kitty of joining herself and Gavin on the couch.

He looks up to see Gavin stretched out again, dutifully petting his cat in long strokes.

"I--" 

Nines does not know whether to apologize for ignoring him or thank him for the gift or profess his completely inappropriate and much too intense undying love for the remainder of the human's lifespan.

"You wanna spend the night?" Gavin asks.

Nines shuts his mouth and nods.

"Do you want to come cuddle with us or finish with your collection first?"

"I—yes. Cuddle??"

Gavin grins at him and sits up, scooping Kitty with him. "OK, I diagnose you with Big Spoon so lay down on the inside."

Nines follows that instruction while also attempting to keep all his limbs under control and to himself. Luckily, Gavin isn't shy at all about physically arranging him into the correct position, and Kitty follows suit in turn with him.

They end with Nines lying on his side, back pressed up against the back of the couch to leave as much space as possible for Gavin to lie on the actual cushions. He seems comfortable on his back, with the cat assuming her [spot] curled up on his chest.

"She's pretty," Gavin says quietly.

He scritches behind her ears and, just when Nines starts to feel a tiny bit jealous, then lifts his hand up to cup Nines's chin.

"You're pretty too."

"I like you," Nines finally manages to say.

Gavin smiles at him again. "Good. I really liked your gifts. Can't believe you bought me a phcking fruit tree—that's some medieval courtly shit."

"May I court you?" Nines asks him.

Gavin blushes. "We can just date."

Nines blurts out, "Wow, really?"

"Yeah?" Gavin snorts. "Baby, I'm not the one out of your league here. You know I'm an asshole, right?"

"Yes, I work with you."

Gavin laughs, long and loud. The cat purrs and begins kneading his chest in response. Nines may or may not feel a small twinge of jealousy about that too. How much [touching] does dating involve?

"May I call you my boyfriend?" Nines asks when he's done.

Gavin's face is still flushed and happy. "Yeah. Um, yeah. I'd like that."

"Are we dating exclusively?"

"Yes," Gavin answers. "I only like you. God, really. You're the only person other than Tina I can actually stand, and she's like my sister. So don't worry about that. And uh, sorry about letting you believe I had a secret admirer for so long."

Nines cocks his head and waits for a further explanation.

"I maaay have been waiting to see if you'd get jealous," he admits. "But I definitely didn't mean for things to get weird with him being my brother and all. I just didn't want to explain that part at the station because if anyone knew Elijah Kamski is my half--"

Kamski?

Yes, even with his facial recognition disabled after the Revolution, Nines can observe with his optical units and note the two men have a passing similarity, but that is no cause for assuming a familial relationship. With over twelve billion humans, it would be statistically impossible for someone not to resemble another human, or even several.

"--never know if any of my promotions are earned," Gavin is saying. "Hell, I'd have police captains from every precinct begging to promote me once a year just to say I came up under their 'leadership'."

"Yes," Nines says. He can understand that logic, even past the shock of the revelation.

"Also, he's just such an asshole. Who the fuck tries to apologize with fifteen thousand dollar watches and some sort of android motorcycle?"

"Um," Nines says. "In the interest of full disclosure, I did not obtain a non-commercial, experimental android cat by my own means. And the commercial product will likely cost in the thousand--"

Gavin looks at his cat, then up at Nines, then cuts off his explanation with a groan. "Motherfucker. He rigged the game! You got her from Eli?"

Nines nods.

"Great, so no matter whose gift I like best, it's really his," Gavin says.

"I am prepared to take responsibility for the cat myself if you are unwilling to--"

Gavin wraps his arms around her protectively. "Don't you phcking dare, she's mine forever, no take backs!"

Nines does not need to breathe a sigh of relief, but he is relieved nonetheless. "Then you do not mind?"

"It's fine," Gavin says. "Just, no more gifts you get from him."

"Understood."

"And … a kiss?"

Nines leans his face down. "I have not--"

"Shh."

Gavin guides his chin forward and kisses him. Nines can't hold back a small burst of static, but his partner—boyfriend—doesn't pull away. He receives two more small kisses first before Gavin settles back down again.

"Good?"

Nines nods. Vigorously. Kitty stretches up to sniff at Gavin's mouth, in case that was some sort of grooming or exchange of food. Gavin giggles and turns his head so she licks his chin instead. With no traces of food or saliva detected, she curls back into her loaf position to resume receiving her pettings.

"Just promise me one more thing," Gavin says.

"Yes, darling?"

"Never cheat at Mario Kart."

"… is _that_ what this was all about?"

**Author's Note:**

> how influenced by Nines is this android cat? is he living vicariously through her by snuggling and kissing Gavin?? the world may never know!


End file.
